Rivers and citizens. Cross-border experiences in environmental protection and sustainable development - 2007

The environment, understood as a complex structure made up of heterogeneous elements, requires holistic approaches that are able to deal with the multiform interactions that regulate the dynamic and evolutionary processes of our planet. Water, in all its forms and in the whole of its cycle, is at the heart of environmental equilibria, as a precondition and as a mediator of life itself, but also as part of the common heritage of mankind and nature. Rivers, whether they are visible, subterranean, or artificial, are elements that connect life, experience and culture, constitute an integral part of our past, and are an essential pre-condition for our future; investment in sustainable development and reconciling issues of economic growth and environmental protection have thus today become a duty which we neglect at our peril. For this reason, Puglia Regional Authority has sought to protect the river Ofanto by setting up the first river park in Puglia, the procedures for which are currently being activated. To achieve this result it is necessary to tackle the water question in context of its environmental, social, cultural, ethical dimensions, placing particular emphasis on the issue of information and education regarding the conservation of our environmental heritage, the historic "memory" of water, and the knowledge and expertise that goes with it. By achieving increasing levels of sustainability, not only does the community gradually reduce its impact on the local and global environment, but it also promotes an increasingly advanced integration of natural ecosystems with socio-economic and cultural life and ever more highly evolved and sustainable equilibria. The results of the research and the experience set out in this volume demonstrate the clear links and interaction between public awareness of natural heritage in terms of aquatic and river environments and human activities, which, if carefully orientated, can lead to advantages and better protection, but can also lead to deterioration and irreversible damage if not managed in an informed way. In the belief that reading this volume can contribute to a better understanding of the complex interactions between the human and the river environment, I invite the reader to draw useful indications regarding how to implement behaviours, actions and strategies that aim to improve the quality of the environment and the ecological value of aquatic ecosystems.